We’ve got winners! Big thanks to all of you who commented on the Grape Catchup post (I was a little afraid nobody would want such an esoteric and weird-sounding condiment). I’ve had a bit more time to play around with it since I first posted about it and I can happily say that it tastes amazing drizzled on top of goat cheese (on taster said that it tasted like Christmas). I also think it would work nicely as the base of a vinaigrette, whisked together with some cider vinegar and some olive oil.

I’ll be sending jars out to Aaron and Marcy. Congratulations you two!

For those of you who didn’t win, definitely consider cooking up a batch of this for yourself, as it’s quite delicious and very versatile.

I have something of a problem when it comes to vintage cookbooks. I can’t walk by a used bookstore or thrift store without stopping in to scan for some interesting new title. Some I buy just for their kitsch factor, but I find that many older cookbooks I pick up haven’t lost their utility to age and have quite a lot to offer, particularly for a girl who’s interesting in reviving the waning art of canning.

One of my favorite volumes is the New York Times Heritage Cookbook. It was originally published in 1972 and was written by long-time NYT food writer Jean Hewitt (she also wrote the New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook, which was a staple of my childhood). It’s an unembellished book, but it manages to capture the many distinct faces of regional food that were once present in this country (fast food, national grocery brands and TV have homogenized us in so many ways).

I pulled it off the shelf a couple of nights ago, in my search for pickled lime recipes. While it didn’t yield any helpful recipes in that direction, I discovered a very intriguing recipe for something called Grape Catchup (yes, spelled just like that) in the Mountain/Northern Plains section (the book is organized by region of the country). It seemed both easy, calling for nothing more than grapes, apple cider vinegar, sugar and spices, and strangely appealing.

I made it last night, filling the apartment with the pungent smell of hot, fruity vinegar (sounds like the name of a band made up of pickle makers). What came out was a really tangy, sweet/sour condiment that would make a great dipping sauce (I also think it would be amazing on baked chicken or roasted pork – oh god, a pulled pork sandwich with this instead of bbq sauce would be amazing). It has sort of a runny consistency, as the recipe doesn’t call for any pectin or thickener beyond the grape skins (which do contain some natural pectins).

Being that I now have four pints of this grape catchup in seven separate jars, I’m giving away two half-pint jars to a couple of lucky readers. If you want to try this tasty condiment that you absolutely won’t be able to find on your grocery store shelves, leave a comment by Sunday at 5 pm. And, if you want to make a batch yourself, the recipe is after the jump.

Awhile back, I caught the tail end of a Twitter conversation in which many folks were discussing memories of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. During the back and forth, the subject of pickled limes came up, as they related to the moment in the story when Amy has her precious limes taken away and her hands beaten for bringing them to school. A suggestion was made that someone (cough, cough, Marisa, cough) try their hand at making some pickled limes.

I remember that book fondly as well (although I’ve always been more enamored with the chapter in Little Men when a young girl is given the gift of a miniature stove and kitchen set and taught to prepare tiny meals. It is a true foodie delight) and was always curious about those pickled limes over which Amy was paddled.

I’ve taken up the project (I’m highly suggestible) of finding a way to make a batch similar to which Amy would have eaten, and while there’s much mention of pickled limes on the internet, there’s not much in the way of consensus as to how exactly her limes would have been prepared. I’ve consulted the knowledgeable Mrs. Beeton, and she offered two recipes for pickled lemons (and as far as I can tell, preparation would probably have been identical for limes). However one recipe calls for the lemons/limes to be pickled with the peels on, while the other has the cook remove the peel.

For those of you who are as curious about this as I am, what do you think? Peels on or peels off?

A couple of months back, I heard tell of a book that sounded very much like one I hoped to write someday. Called, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It, it tries to make jams, pickles, basic salumi and other kitchen crafts accessible and available to the people out there who have never committed fruit to jar, or veg to brine. When I got my hands on a review copy, I was delighted by the book (and relieved to see that it wasn’t entirely the same volume I imagined myself writing on the topic). I have yet to cook or craft anything out of it yet (mostly because I’ve been happily making up my own recipes of late), but I’ve been keeping it on my coffee table for inspiration, as well as a reminder to write about it.

Another reminder that this book deserved a mention came today, when I noticed that Erin (of Erin Cooks!) had made the Toaster Tarts on page 98. Erin did a great job with the recipe, altering it slightly from the neat squares that author Karen Solomon recommends to charming heart cut-outs.

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I’ve had a couple of open pages in my browser for weeks now and it’s time to finally commit their links to this blog, so that I can close those tabs without forgetting their contents. Both are from Kevin of Closet Cooking and, if you’re like me, fond of both mangos and putting food in jars, they are most certainly for you as well. The first is a recipe for an aromatic and spicy Mango Chutney and the second is a Mango and Cardamom Jam. Don’t they sound good? Both have been added to my “Must Make” list (which grows longer by the day).

Today was opening day for the Headhouse Square Farmers Market. During the season, it is one of the highlights of my week. Sunday mornings, my friend Shay and I meet up there right around opening at 10 am to do our grocery shopping, walking on the same bricks that shoppers strolled 200 years ago. Last year, we made friends with several of the vendors, including Mark the egg man (his hens lay the most beautiful, multi-colored eggs that have vividly orange yolks) and Tom from Culton Organics, who wears a jaunty red kerchief around his neck when the weather is hot. We’re hoping to get to know even more farmers and vendors this year, as it makes the shopping experience even more satisfying.

Once we’ve exhausted our budgets, we get a drink, find a spot of curb and hang out for a bit to chat and people-watch. Unfortunately, today it wasn’t possible to pull up a chunk of curbstone, as Philly was treated to a day-long soaking rain. The drizzle didn’t seem to keep people away from the market though, the space under the Shambles was packed and everyone seemed delighted to be there, rubbing elbows once again with their favorite farmers.

One of the best things about this market is that the farmers put a great deal of energy into making their products look as lovely as possible. The displays include antique crates, bentwood baskets and natural slabs of slates upon which they write names and prices. One set-up that particularly caught my eye was the one you see above, of neatly bundled herbs, tucked into jars. This is something you could do in your own home, to extend the life of your cut herbs. The one addition I’d make would be to drape a plastic bag with a few holes cut out over the herbs. They last an amazingly long time that way, and look quite nice, to boot.

If you want to see more of my pictures from the market today, I’ve added them to my Headhouse set from last year and the year before, which you can find here.

One of the things I was totally unprepared for, when I first started blogging at Slashfood, was the fact that it would turn me into a desirable target for PR people trying to get their products noticed. Within my first month there, I was being contacted on an almost daily basis and by the time I left, I was getting upwards of 7-10 pitches a day. The flow has quieted a great deal since my departure, particularly since I’ve been diligent in pointing those eager PR folks in the direction of Kat, Sara and Alex.

However, occasionally a box or envelope still shows up and recently, a paperback copy of The Compassionate Carnivore landed on my doorstep. It’s a memoir by Catherine Friend, about finding a way back to a more humane and sustainable approach to animal farming and consumption of meat. It’s a good book. I know, since I read a reviewer’s copy of it last spring when it was first published. It has an ethos that goes hand in glove with the food in jars lifestyle I’m trying to live. So I thought I’d have a giveaway. I realize this book might not be quite as popular a giveaway as a jar of homemade jam, but isn’t it just as important to feed your mind as it is to feed your belly? Leave a comment by Sunday at 5 pm to enter. I’ll be in touch if you’re the lucky winner.

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Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about canning and food preservation, but I’ll be the first to admit that I still have much to learn. That’s why I’ve signed up for a couple of advanced food preservation classes this summer through the Lancaster County Extension Service (it’s the closest extension service to Philly). I’m going to be taking their pressure canning class on Thursday, July 16th at 6 pm (I’ll be leaving work a little early for that one) and their high acid canning class on Saturday, August 15th at 10 am. The classes both run two hours and cost $10. If any Philly folks are interested in riding out there with me for either of these classes, leave a comment and I’ll get back to you. More information about those classes is after the jump.